San Francisco International to Redding Regional SFO → RDD
174 nautical miles (200 statute miles) north on a straight line, true course 001°, about 347° magnetic at the departure end (variation 14E). At 120 knots that is 1 h 20 min at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 10-knot tailwind), arriving about 6:46 pm PDT (01:46 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now SFO is VFR, wind from the west-southwest (250°) at 12 knots; RDD is VFR, wind from the north (360°) at 10 knots, gusting to 20. For planning, not a briefing: the legal preflight briefing comes from Flight Service (1-800-WX-BRIEF) or the FAA's own tools. Airlines fly this pair: 1,734 flights in the DOT's last twelve reported months, the route's page.
The route the straight line, the warnings crossed, restrictions, pilot reports and the airports along the way · click a mark for its words
Green, blue, red and purple airport dots are the flying conditions reported there now (VFR, marginal VFR, IFR, low IFR); grey means no report. Red areas are SIGMETs, orange areas AIRMETs, hatched red areas temporary flight restrictions. Map tiles: OpenFreeMap, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Warnings the route crosses SIGMETs and AIRMETs whose area the line passes through or comes within 25 nm of
No SIGMET or AIRMET covers any part of this route right now.
A SIGMET warns of weather hazardous to all aircraft; an AIRMET of weather that matters to small aircraft and to flying without instruments. "From 60 to 180 nm out" is measured along the route from SFO.
Pilot reports along the route within 50 nm of the line, last three hours, the serious ones first
Not fetched just now.
Winds aloft along the route, and the time en route the forecast for use 20:00–03:00 UTC · at 120 knots true airspeed
The westbound cruising heights for this course (VFR: even thousands plus 500 ft; above 18,000 ft the forecast levels), with the wind averaged along the line from the 3 forecast points nearest it (SFO, SAC, RBL). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.
| Height | Average wind | Head- or tailwind | Temperature | Ground speed | Time en route | Arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4,500 ft | 320° at 3 kt | +2 kt | 118 kt | 1 h 28 min | 6:54 pm PDT (01:54 UTC) | |
| 6,500 ft | 340° at 3 kt | +3 kt | 4 °C | 117 kt | 1 h 29 min | 6:55 pm PDT (01:55 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 300° at 2 kt | +1 kt | 1 °C | 119 kt | 1 h 28 min | 6:54 pm PDT (01:54 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 270° at 5 kt | 0 | -3 °C | 120 kt | 1 h 27 min | 6:53 pm PDT (01:53 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 280° at 9 kt | +1 kt | -7 °C | 119 kt | 1 h 28 min | 6:54 pm PDT (01:54 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 290° at 12 kt | +4 kt | -10 °C | 116 kt | 1 h 30 min | 6:56 pm PDT (01:56 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 300° at 16 kt | +7 kt | -14 °C | 113 kt | 1 h 32 min | 6:58 pm PDT (01:58 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 300° at 18 kt | +10 kt | -16 °C | 110 kt | 1 h 35 min | 7:01 pm PDT (02:01 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 320° at 28 kt | +21 kt | -24 °C | 99 kt | 1 h 45 min | 7:11 pm PDT (02:11 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 300° at 26 kt | +12 kt | -29 °C | 108 kt | 1 h 37 min | 7:03 pm PDT (02:03 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 260° at 27 kt | −3 kt | -34 °C | 123 kt | 1 h 25 min | 6:51 pm PDT (01:51 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 260° at 36 kt | −10 kt | -41 °C | 130 kt | 1 h 20 min | 6:46 pm PDT (01:46 UTC) |
Based on data from the 11th at 18:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 00:00 UTC for use 20:00 to 03:00 UTC; temperatures above 24,000 ft are below zero. Heights are above sea level; a height is left out when the forecast has no wind for it over most of the line (the ground is higher). Ground speed is the airspeed less the headwind; the time en route is for the straight line and ignores climb, descent and routing around weather.
The forecast points as issued
| Point | From | 3,000 | 6,000 | 9,000 | 12,000 | 18,000 | 24,000 | 30,000 | 34,000 | 39,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | used from 0 nm out; 24 nm from the line | 220/11 | L/V 5° | 280/7 1° | 270/15 -3° | 290/23 -14° | 310/29 -24° | 280/26 -28° | 250/30 -34° | 250/36 -43° |
| SAC | used from 48 nm out; 44 nm from the line | 270/5 | L/V 5° | L/V -1° | 240/11 -5° | 250/22 -15° | 270/25 -24° | 260/31 -27° | 240/39 -33° | 240/39 -42° |
| RBL | used from 96 nm out; 32 nm from the line | 350/10 | 350/7 6° | L/V -1° | 320/6 -8° | 340/24 -18° | 340/38 -24° | 330/32 -30° | 300/25 -34° | 270/37 -40° |
The weather now: both ends and the airports along the way public airports with a weather report within 25 nm of the line, one for each stretch
| Airport | Where | Conditions | Wind | Visibility | Ceiling | Elevation | Reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO San Francisco, CA | departure | VFR Sky: a few clouds at 2,000 feet | from the west-southwest (250°) at 12 knots | 10+ mi | none | 13 ft | 4:56 pm PDT (23:56 UTC) |
| APC Napa, CA | 39 nm out, 5 nm southeast of the line, tower | VFR | from the south (190°) at 17 knots, gusting to 24 | 10+ mi | none | 35 ft | 23:54 UTC |
| STS Santa Rosa, CA | 58 nm out, 22 nm west of the line, tower | VFR | from the south-southeast (160°) at 11 knots | 10+ mi | none | 128 ft | 23:53 UTC |
| WLW Willows, CA | 116 nm out, 5 nm east of the line | no report just now | 141 ft | ||||
| CIC Chico, CA | 135 nm out, 21 nm east of the line, tower | VFR | from the southeast (130°) at 5 knots | 10+ mi | none | 240 ft | 23:47 UTC |
| RDD Redding, CA | destination | VFR | from the north (360°) at 10 knots, gusting to 20 | 10+ mi | none | 505 ft | 4:53 pm PDT (23:53 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 505 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At RDD when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 6:46 pm PDT (01:46 UTC)
Wind from the north at 14 knots, gusting to 24, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies VFR
The whole forecast for RDD
- From Sun 5:00 pm PDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the north at 18 knots, gusting to 28, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
- From Sun 6:00 pm PDT (01:00 UTC): wind from the north at 14 knots, gusting to 24, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
- From Mon 3:00 am PDT (10:00 UTC): wind from the north at 10 knots, gusting to 20, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
The forecast for SFO, the departure
- From Sun 5:00 pm PDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the west-southwest at 16 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 2,000 feet
- From Sun 7:00 pm PDT (02:00 UTC): wind from the west-southwest at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 2,000 feet
- From Mon 1:00 am PDT (08:00 UTC): wind from the south-southeast at 4 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
- From Mon 11:00 am PDT (18:00 UTC): wind from the east-northeast at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
- From Mon 3:00 pm PDT (22:00 UTC): wind from the west at 10 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/7231 Santa Clara, CA, Sunday, October 11, 2026 through Monday, October 12, 2026 UTC 22 nm from the route, at the departure end · drones kept away from a public gathering · until 12 October · ZOA
- 6/7455 SAN FRANCISCO, CA, Thursday, October 8, 2026 through Sunday, October 11, 2026 Local 1 nm from the route, 10 nm along the route · security · ended 11 October · ZOA
Daylight
Sunset at SFO 6:36 pm PDT (01:36 UTC), at RDD 6:33 pm PDT (01:33 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:01 pm PDT (02:01 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at RDD is after sunset there (6:35 pm PDT (01:35 UTC)).
Each restriction opens the FAA's own page with the exact area, heights and times. Ordinary notices to air missions (closed runways, lights out) are not shown: the FAA's notice search is not open to sites like this one at this time.
Radar and forecast charts for the regions crossed government pictures, the latest each time the page loads
Sources: the Aviation Weather Center's data service (SIGMETs, AIRMETs, graphical AIRMETs, pilot reports, winds and temperatures aloft, observations and terminal forecasts), the National Weather Service radar, the Weather Prediction Center's charts, the FAA's temporary flight restriction list and shapes, and the FAA's airport file for the positions, elevations and magnetic variation. Fetched when the page is viewed and kept a few minutes. Each leg is the straight line between its two airports; airways, terrain and airspace are not considered. The airports in detail: San Francisco International, Redding Regional.